Special to the Reading Eagle: Jeff Doelp |
A state trooper is charged with three summary counts in an Aug. 4 crash that killed an East Cocalico Township couple at Route 422 and Sportsman Road in Lower Heidelberg Township.

Trooper found at fault for crash that killed couple in Lower Heidelberg Township will face no criminal charges

A state trooper whose patrol vehicle collided last summer with an SUV on Route 422 in western Berks County, killing an East Cocalico Township couple, was found at fault but faces no criminal charges, authorities disclosed today.

Trooper Kevin J. Lee of the Reading station was charged in January with three summary counts: careless driving, driving at an unsafe speed and failing to obey traffic control devices.

Lee remains on medical leave related to the crash, said Trooper David C. Beohm, public information officer for Reading-based Troop L.

Beohm indicated state police are still looking into the matter, though he acknowledged the traffic citations preclude criminal charges.

He would not comment beyond that.

Neighbors had described the Coolings as inseparable.

Michele Cooling worked as a nurse for more than 40 years at Reading Hospital, and James Cooling worked in the parts department of Moyer Nissan in South Heidelberg Township. They were actively planning their retirement, neighbors said after the crash.

They said the couple were known to spend their Saturdays driving all over Berks and Lancaster counties looking for new food spots, and it's probably what they were doing the day of the crash.

Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams said Wednesday that a state police crash reconstruction team from outside Troop L thoroughly investigated the crash and handed over the findings to his office.

“I'm very satisfied with their investigation,” Adams said when asked about the charges. “We, ourselves, resolved that charges should be filed. We felt that under the applicable law and the facts that these (the three summary counts) were the most appropriate charges.”

The investigation determined that Lee was traveling too fast for conditions when he went through the red light with his siren and emergency lights on, Adams said. Mature corn plants in the adjacent field may have kept the Coolings from seeing or hearing the trooper's approaching vehicle.

“We do not know if the other vehicle had any opportunity to see or hear the state police vehicle coming at a high rate of speed with its light and sirens on,” Adams said. “That's an unanswered question that we had about this whole situation.”

Adams said he took into consideration the circumstances that the trooper was responding to a Western Berks Regional policeman's call for help because the officer had entered a Robesonia home after learning a known, wanted felon was there.

“It's a horrible tragedy,” Adams said. “We have spoken to the family. I think it's important to know that our investigation went above and beyond the accident.”

Adams said the Robesonia incident that precipitated the call to other police agencies for help was poorly handled by the Western Berks officer.

Investigators said the officer called emergency dispatchers, saying he was being assaulted by the suspect after the officer had entered the home to arrest him. The suspect wasn't supposed to be in the home, they said.

“I looked into that angle of the case,” Adams said, “and I will tell you that I believe, after a thorough review of the facts and circumstances, that the Western Berks police officer should never have entered the residence to make an arrest of a known felon without the required backup.”